uncle. stupid bumper

[soupman]

What does it take to remove the rear bumper on 85 K5.?
Bracket bolts are blocked by hitch
Hitch bolts blocked by gas tank.
Rusted carriage bolts will never come off face of bumper.....

 

[Blue85]

Those carriage bolts are the best way. If you can get an impact on them, just break them and replace later. To pull all the brackets off with the bumper is probably impossible. At least the corner braces would have to come off. Some of the rear bracket bolts are also holding up the tailgate support hinges, too.

 

[kdo1958]

4" angle grinder with a cut off blade, i cut slots in the bumper bolt heads.

 

[dyeager535]

Those things are a real pain. Some angled, partially covered by brackets, rusted in place, etc.

Agree with breaking them. Use a massive breaker bar (not some wimpy 3/8"-drive 12" bar) and snap them off. If you get them partially loose, they will simply wallow out the square hole in the bumper, then you have nothing keeping them from rotating.

I always put mine back together with a liberal coating of grease on the threads.

 

[diesel4me]

I've had to center punch and drill the carriage heads off the bolts to remove bumpers on my trucks more than once..its about the only way to get them off once the nuts rust onto them, other than torching them off,which is hazardous and potentially destructive--drilling sucks,but it removes them with no damage and is probably easier than trying to snap the bolts off--that usually just tears out the square hole in the bumper..

 

[dyeager535]

I may be pretty lucky, and maybe part of it may be due to minimal rust up here...back east perhaps the square shoulder reduces in diameter and spins easier?

I say lucky, I dread having to try and remove a bumper that hasn't been removed before, as it's never easy.